Has it really been a year and a half???

Happy 18 months sweet Brayden! I have said before and I'm sure I will say a million more times, but we could never have imagined how drastically our lives would change when we came home with you from the hospital. When I look back, I remember what an anxious mess I was....for what felt like months on end. At the same time, our hearts were instantly filled with love. We could not be more grateful for you and your fun, vivacious personality. You are full of life and approach new tasks as a challenge to be mastered. You are such a little smiler and flirt and are eager to "talk" to strangers. You also know just what you want and are quick to tell mommy "no" when she gives you water and you want juice! You also know the limits, telling yourself "no" when you touch ornaments on the tree that mommy has asked you not to touch. You have 17 teeth!!! and we are all wondering when this teething frenzy will finally cease. Because you like to suck the toothpaste off your toothbrush, you are eager to "brush" your teeth every night before bed. You are a routine junky and this makes mommy very proud (because she is obsessed with routine too!) going to bed each night between 6:30 and 7, but you are flexible enough to sleep wherever we put you down...as long as there's a pack-n-play. On that note, you are almost too long for the infamous pack-n-play. At 18 months, you weigh a little more than 26 lbs and are 33 1/4 inches long!!! You eat like a champ and hands-down, your absolute favorite meal is spaghetti. Last night you downed 4 meatballs with your noodles. You like to play drums while mommy's cooking (a wooden spoon and 2 Christmas cookie tins) and if she's not careful you will unroll the whole roll of aluminum foil because you can reach the counters. You've never had ANY interest in signing, but you are eager-beaver to talk and so far can say no, nose, mama, bye, car, ball, bat, and answer "moo" for the cow and "woof-woof" for the dog. Surprisingly you get excited when Abby-Cadaby comes on Sesame Street, you love Dinosaur Train, and you're still obsessed with SuperWhy. When mommy or daddy sing the T-Rex song, you giggle and squirm and show all your beautiful teeth! We love that! You take one nap and sleep 3-3 1/2 hours. This is when mommy thinks about all the things she can do while you're asleep, but then falls asleep on the couch herself--ha! You are determined, sometimes obstinate, curious, and tender. You have a sweet little heart and we have already seen traces of its sensitivities. When daddy gets home from work, you look forward to wrestling, playing hide-and-seek, throwing the ball, or charging him and burying yourself in his belly. Like a playful cub, you are a content little boy. We love you!! Happy 18 months!